KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Association of Basketball Coaches has recognized a historic season for the University of St. Thomas, naming head coach Anthony Medina the 2026 NABC Division III Coach of the Year.
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The national honor highlights a milestone year for Medina, who also secured NABC District 10 Coach of the Year and D3hoops.com Region 10 Coach of the Year recognition, completing a sweep of major postseason accolades. He becomes the first coach in program history to earn NABC National Coach of the Year honors.
Under Medina's leadership, St. Thomas has delivered a record-setting 29-2 campaign and advanced to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Quarterfinals (Elite 8), where the Celts took on Christopher Newport University on Thursday.
St. Thomas has set the standard across the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference this season, going a perfect 16-0 in regular season play while capturing both the SCAC Gold Division title and tournament championship. The Celts carried that momentum into postseason play, winning their conference tournament games by an average margin of 24 points.
The success has been driven by consistency on both ends of the floor. St. Thomas has outscored opponents by 13.7 points per game while holding teams to under 40 percent shooting and forcing 16.1 turnovers per contest, reflecting the discipline and identity established under Medina.
Beyond the numbers, this season has rewritten the SCAC record books. The Celts' 29 wins mark the most in a single season in conference history, while their 26-game winning streak stands as the longest ever recorded. That run continues into the NCAA Regional Final, where St. Thomas is making the first appearance at that stage by a SCAC program since 2008.
Medina's recognition at the regional level adds further historical significance. He is the first SCAC coach to earn D3hoops.com Region 10 Coach of the Year honors since Birmingham-Southern's Chris Graves in 2011-12, and this marks the second time in the last four seasons he has been named NABC District 10 Coach of the Year, previously earning the award following the 2022-23 campaign.
